


eclipse of the heart

by sehunagenda



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Competition, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friendly competition between nations, Jongin is a sweetheart, M/M, Mentioned Death Threats, Prince Jongin, Prince Sehun, Rivals, but not really, kind of, like the olympic games, royal au, sehun is emo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sehunagenda/pseuds/sehunagenda
Summary: Everyone has always told them that they were meant to be enemies, rivals since birth. They were told that Moon and Sun couldn't coexist, that only one of them should have been born, and that the Games are their chance to prove which one of them is worthy of the Gods' blessing.Jongin is eager to prove them wrong.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 14
Kudos: 122





	eclipse of the heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zitaojoestar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zitaojoestar/gifts).



> Here I am. Another sekai, another Royal AU. Someone stop me please
> 
> This is completely dedicated to my best friend, my soulmate, the moon to my sun, the Sehun to my Jongin. I love you bitch.
> 
> Also, thank you to my beta, Picas, because what would I have done without them...

**I. The Sun Prince**

It had been a long journey, as Jongin’s nation was really far from the Eastern Islands, but it was not their first time visiting the Islands. Chanyeol was wiggling on his seat, impatient, while Yixing was sound asleep, drooling on Chanyeol’s shoulders. Jongin was excited. Usually, they came to accompany Jongin’s parents in an official matter, or to make a courtesy visit to the King and Queen of the Islands, but this time was different.

Once every seven years, all the nations put their differences aside to celebrate the Games. Not even war stopped the Games from taking place, usually in a neutral nation which wasn’t involved in the conflict.It was something important, and being currently 25 years old, it was the first time Jongin was participating.

So, he was excited, but also really nervous. He traced the pattern of the birthmark he wore on his wrist, something that always gave him comfort. It was a sun, a strange and practically white mark standing out on Jongin’s sun-kissed skin.

He remembered the words of his father, when he had said _‘It is your duty as the Sun Prince to represent your nation and make us proud’_ in a rather ominous tone. Jongin had just rolled his eyes, because his father was always talking about duties and obligations and responsibilities, about what being the Sun Prince meant, and Jongin was tired of hearing him talk about it.

He was excited because he liked games, sports, horse-riding, sword-fighting, all that stuff, and more than anything, he liked to win – not because it was his chance to prove himself worthy of his title. His birthmark was enough for him, he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, as the sun embedded on his skin was the only evidence the world needed.

It was not that easy, for his father. Everyone was always reminding him how worthy he was and how he had to prove the world of this worthiness. If he was so worthy, why did he have to prove it? Jongin just ignored them, but it was true, that he excelled in a lot of things. Was it because he was the chosen, the Sun Prince, or because he was Kim Jongin? He didn’t really care, as in this world, those titles were one and the same. Sun Prince, or just Crown Prince of the Valley, they were just some titles he had to carry with himself.

He was so lost in thought he didn’t even realize they were at the capital of the Islands already. Chanyeol was excitedly looking through the window, like a kid.

“It’s not the first time we come here, why are you like this” Jongin teased with a grin, which made Chanyeol pout, looking like a kicked puppy.

“But it’s the first time we are here for the Games! Like, to actually participate and not just watch!”

Jongin hummed, his friend was completely right. They had been at the Games before, but always watching. It was a nice change.

“Don’t talk so loud” Yixing grumbled, hitting Chanyeol’s arm without opening his eyes. Chanyeol kicked his leg in return.

“We are already here, wake up” he said. Yixing stuck his tongue out and returned Chanyeol’s kick before yawning and stretching his arms.

Jongin was back to ignoring them, watching through the window as their carriage went through the streets of the city, some kids pointing at them. They arrived to the castle’s grounds at last, and Jongin jumped off the carriage, his legs sore because of the long trip.

Waiting for them were the Prince of the Islands and his Shadow, both of them wearing twin grins. Shadows were usually notorious for going unseen in their lives, protecting their princes from the shadows, but this one was just as his protected: an insufferable brat; and they both were Jongin’s friends since kids.

“Took you so long to arrive” Baekhyun complained when the three friends got out of the carriage.

“Maybe you should visit next time for a change” Chanyeol pouted, stretching himself. His limbs were too long and he always complained after long travels.

“Too much work” Baekhyun laughed, going to hug the three of them. “Are you all going to participate, in the Games?”

Jongin nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“I don’t know why we bother, since Jongin is probably going to win” Yixing mumbled, still sleepy from the ride.

“I wouldn’t be so confident if I were him” Baekhyun grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Why, are you thinking of competing?” Chanyeol asked, curious.

“Oh, no, he wouldn’t be allowed” were Jongdae’s first words. He had been helping get the luggage down but he was now free to join them. “I will represent him, as always.”

“Yes he will” Baekhyun happily said. He didn’t seem upset at all for not participating, as in the Islands Shadows were just seen as an extension of their protected. Legally, all that Jongdae did or gained belonged to Baekhyun, achievements included. It was weird for Jongin, but they had been raised like that and were used to it. “But you know, there’s someone who could snatch the champion’s title from Jongin.”

“I highly doubt it” Chanyeol snorted, resting his arm on Jongin’s shoulder.

“Ooh, but the Moon Prince is participating as well” Baekhyun said, with a devilish smile.

For a moment, they were all silent, and it was Chanyeol who broke the silence. “As if that impostor was going to be a match for Jongin, please.”

“Chanyeol” Jongin said, hitting him. “Don’t call him that. I don’t want any problems with the Greenhills, alright?”

“I’m sorry” Chanyeol gave him a sheepish smile. “I just think you’ll be better”

“I think everyone thinks that” Yixing softly added, but he sounded a little bit sad about it.

“And that’s why Jongin should watch out for him” Baekhyun grinned. “He knows what people think, and he will be eager to prove himself worthy of this title.”

“I sometimes forget you are friends with him” Jongin said, with an easy smile. “It’s okay, I could use a friendly competition.”

Besides, Jongin wasn’t going to say that out loud, but he couldn’t wait to meet the Moon Prince. Jongin had been blessed by the Sun at birth. He had been chosen at birth and everyone had rejoiced because he was meant to do great things. And then, just a few months later, the other chosen one was born.

Prince Oh Sehun, blessed by the Moon, the same way the Sun had blessed Jongin. It would have been something to celebrate, if not for the fact that never had a Moon and Sun Prince been born in the same generation. Only one was needed to keep balance in the world, and when Sehun had been born just months after Jongin, people hadn’t taken it well.

Jongin’s father had been outraged, accusing the other King to have forged his son’s choosing, even if that was not possible. But Sehun’s birth was seen as a bad omen, and a lot of people saw him as an imposter, as someone who shouldn’t be there.

Sehun had been holed up in the Greenhills, his homeland, all his life, so Jongin had never seen it. Needless to say, the Greenhills and the Valley weren’t in good terms since the King of the Valley, Jongin’s father, had accused the King of the Greenhills of somehow tricking the Moon Goddess into blessing his son, to the point of saying that Sehun shouldn’t have been born and suggesting to getting rid of him. Not very nice of him.

His father had always been angry at his existence, thinking he was taking the spotlight away from Jongin, telling Jongin that he was an enemy. Jongin had never understood why Sehun had to be an enemy. They were both chosen, one by the Sun, the other by the Moon. Shouldn’t they be friends?

But his questions had been ignored, and it was only now, after 25 years, that Jongin was finally going to meet the Moon Prince. And oh boy, was he excited.

“You seem too happy” Baekhyun laughed, as he guided them to their rooms, the same as always.

“I’m excited” Jongin answered, smiling. He felt light and he was in a good mood. “I can’t wait for the Games to start.”

“We still have one week of training before that” Chanyeol reminded him.

“But I like that too” Jongin said, raising an eyebrow. “This week will allow us to observe our rivals, to see in what they excel at, where they fail. To make friends and rivals.”

“Only you would be excited about that” Yixing snorted, making Jongin pout.

“I came here to win” Jongin clarified. “But this is a good chance of meeting the people we will have to deal with in the future.”

‘ _Like the Moon Prince_ ’ was left unsaid, but he was the one Jongin was most eager to meet, and that was making him expectant.

“So, when are the rest of the guests arriving?” Jongin asked once they were all inside his room, the bigger of the guest rooms. The bed was pretty big, so all of them except Yixing were sitting on it. Yixing was actually laying on the bed, about to fall asleep again.

“A few of them already arrived yesterday” Baekhyun said, making himself comfortable under Jongdae’s arm. The other boy let the prince manhandle him until he deemed that he was comfortable enough. “I think only the Valley and the Greenhills were left, so… You know.”

“Do you think they will be here for dinner?” Jongin asked, trying to just seem mildly curious. Something in Baekhyun’s gaze told him that he wasn’t very successful.

“They should. Even if it’s an informal dinner it marks the beginning of the Games period, so it would be rude if they weren’t here for it.”

“Wouldn’t be the first rude thing they’ve done, after all” Chanyeol snickered, earning him a kick in the ribcage courtesy of Jongin.

“Behave” his friend told him, but Chanyeol just laughed, pushing Jongin’s foot away and poking his side where he knew Jongin was ticklish. Jongin avoided him on time, and moved away so Chanyeol couldn’t try again.

“They have always been on time” Baekhyun hummed. “They usually come late, though. I think they just don’t like to be far from home more time than necessary. You know how private the Greenhills are.”

Jongin hummed and soon the conversation led to something else that he didn’t really care about, so he just tried to contain his excitement, tone down all the energy he had inside him. Yixing fell asleep and Chanyeol eventually left to his room, to change into something more comfortable.

Baekhyun, still comfortably leaning against Jongdae, smirked at him. “So, you are really excited, uh?” he said, a devilish glint in his eyes. Jongdae snickered.

“I mean, it’s my first time and I want to make everyone proud, so yes” Jongin replied, daring Baekhyun to say something else. Of course his friend laughed at him.

“And the Moon Prince doesn’t have anything to do with this?” he asked, amused. Jongin had nothing to hide so he just smiled.

“Alright, you caught me” he laughed. “I’m curious, okay? I’ve been wanting to meet him my whole life.”

“Why?” Baekhyun asked, suddenly a little more serious than before. “Why is that?”

“I don’t know” Jongin shrugged. “I feel… It’s like a pull. Something about his existence calls me. I want to be his friend.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae shared a look before Baekhyun, wetting his lips and lowering his voice, said “I thought you’d be more interested in competing against him, proving you are better.”

Jongin just shook his head, still smiling. “Not really. I still want to win, yeah, I want to surpass everyone, him included. But that’s not the reason I want to meet him. Everyone always treats him as my rival, my enemy… I would like to decide if that’s the case on my own.”

A satisfied smile formed on Baekhyun’s face. “Right answer. You’ve always been a good guy, Jongin.”

“I like to think so too” Jongin said, at the same time that Yixing rolled in his sleep and ended up on the floor.

He woke up as the other three laughed. “It’s not funny, I’m tired” he complained, just as Chanyeol came into the room again, freshly showered and with new robes.

“Alright, I’ll leave you here” Baekhyun said, while Jongdae had already carefully disentangled himself of the prince, even before Baekhyun said anything about leaving. “I still have guests to welcome and it won’t be long before they arrive.”

“See you tonight” Jongdae said as both of them jumped off the floor, Baekhyun leading the way out of the room with his Shadow half a step behind, as always.

Jongin had to use all his willpower to not offer himself to accompany Baekhyun, now that he knew the only guests left to arrive were the Greenhills.

“Relax” Yixing said, looking at him from the floor as Chanyeol dropped himself on the bed again. “You’ll see them tonight.”

There was no point in denying it because it was obvious why Jongin was this restless, so he just laughed and let his upper half body fall onto the bed, next to Chanyeol. “Yeah, I know. Let’s rest a little bit before dinner.”

Chanyeol groaned but Yixing just climbed on the bed again, and the three of them closed their eyes, resting their bodies from the long journey.

A knock at the door woke Jongin up, a servant announcing that dinner would be served in one hour. After making themselves presentable, the same servant led them to the main hall, where several long tables were ready and set for dinner. Baekhyun waved at from the middle of one of the tables, pointing to his right.

“This is your place” he said when the three of them approached. At Baekhyun’s side sat his brother Baekbeom, and behind them stood their Shadows, Jongdae and Junmyeon. There were a couple more people of the Islands, but none of them was important enough to have a shadow, so if they were sitting at the table it meant they would fight in the Games on their own.

The hall was slowly filling in, and Jongin was craning his neck, searching for him. Yixing and Chanyeol were talking to some more people that got seated in front of them. He finally turned to Baekhyun, who was observing him, amused. “Is he here?” he asked in a low voice.

“Who do you mean?” Baekhyun asked, feigning confusion.

“You know who I mean” Jongin pouted. “Don’t make me say it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you then” Baekhyun singsonged, Jongdae snorting behind him. It was a contrast to Junmyeon serious face, more typical of a Shadow, but Shadows were meant to be as their protected shaped them, so everyone was used to Jongdae being as atypical as Baekhyun.

Jongin pouted again, but Baekhyun just ignored him. “Alright, I mean Sehun, is he here already?”

Baekhyun smiled, victorious. “No, he isn’t here yet. They will sit at my other side, so you’ll be close, don’t worry”

Jongin would have blushed if he had any shame, but he just said “Nice” and turned to join Chanyeol and Yixing in their conversation.

People slowly filled the dining hall, but none of them were from the Greenhills, and Jongin was starting to grow impatient. There were still a lot of participants left, but he had the need to meet the Moon Prince as soon as possible.

Then, he felt a pull. Almost like a physical pull, something inside him, a spark. No, not a spark, a whole fire. His eyes went directly to the newcomers, three men that walked inside the hall. All eyes turned to them, a conversation became hushed whispers.

Jongin didn’t have to ask to know who the man in the middle was. He was tall, maybe even taller that Jongin, his hair was pitch black and when he came close enough, Jongin could see his eyes, a deep grey, shinning like the whole sky was inside them.

And the man was looking at him as well. The whispers had died down, and everyone was silent, observing them. The Moon Prince, because it was him, everyone knew that, looked at Jongin with a expressionless face, and they sat down.

Baekhyun broke the silence, and his voice resounded through all the hall when he talked. “Jongin, this is Sehun. Sehun, this is Jongin.”

Jongin leaned closer to him, his body basically sprawled over the table, and offered him his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you” he said, smiling brightly.

Sehun looked at his hand, then to one of his companions, and then at Jongin’s hand again before taking it. “Likewise” Sehun said while shaking his hand.

He was tense, Jongin could feel it, and had a strained smile on his face. When their hands touched, it was electrifying and a chill went through his body. Jongin was sure that his mark had glowed and something told him that the moon mark Sehun carried would be glowing as well, if it was visible under his clothes.

Jongin wondered how they would look, completely opposite. Sehun with his silver eyes, black hair, skin as white as snow, a serious expression even if he had tried to put on a smile, and the thick black clothes usually wore in the Greenhills. Jongin though, Jongin had a blond almost white hair, golden eyes with a matching golden skin, typical of the Valley, and he was wearing an almost seen-through white shirt.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Sehun pulled away and Jongin let himself fall onto his seat. People realized they were staring and the whispers began again, progressively becoming louder until the hall was as lively as before.

“What was that?” Chanyeol whispered to him.

“I don’t know what you mean” Jongin replied. There were still some empty spots and he hoped they arrived soon because he was hungry.

“You and the Moon Prince” his friend hissed. “We all saw that. I thought literal sparks were gonna come out of that handshake, man.”

“It was tense because everyone was watching us” Jongin retorted. “And that includes you too. Look, I don’t want to fight, I want to try and befriend him, alright?”

“You what?” Chanyeol cried, as Yixing said “I think it’s a good idea.”

Before Jongin could answer with some witty remark, Baekbeom stood up, clearing his throat and waiting for everyone to quiet down.

“Now that everyone is here” he said, checking again that no seats were empty, “welcome to the Eastern Islands.”

People started clapping, some of them even howling, and Baekbeom looked used to it because he just waited until the guests got tired and silent again. He seemed calm, but Jongin could see one of Junmyeon’s hands on his shoulder, probably calming him down.

“Some of you have been to the Games before, and some of you are here for your first time. In any case, this dinner officially gives way to this new edition of the Games. Remember that this is just a friendly competition and the objective is to bring all of us closer, so you’ll have a week to train and to become at least acquainted with the rest of the participants. This being said, I wish you all good luck, but for now, enjoy dinner!”

Servants with trays and platers full of food came out then, serving different types of food – and if the Islands were good at something, it was their meals. Jongin loved travelling to the Islands because he knew he was going to be well fed.

He tried to ignore Sehun’s presence, as he knew that everyone would be observing them if he tried to chat with him, but Jongin couldn’t control his happiness and excitement. After dinner was cleared and only alcohol remained on their tables, Jongin considered that it was his chance.

He leaned to Baekhyun to whisper in his ear. “Tell your brother to change seats with me.”

Baekhyun observed him, considering. “Promise me to not cause a scene” he deadpanned.

“Of course!” Jongin pouted, offended that Baekhyun thought that of him. “I just want to talk to him. Please, Baek…”

Baekhyun sighed before turning to his brother, who listened with an amused expression. Jongin smiled, showing his teeth, when Baekbeom looked at him, and it must have worked because they were changing seats in no time.

Sehun didn’t seem to notice what was happening, talking in a low voice with his travel companions, drink untouched on the table. Jongin tapped his shoulder, and put on his most charming smile, the one that he knew made girls swoon.

“Hi” he said as Sehun turned. The Moon Prince stared at him without saying anything, so Jongin added. “Baekhyun introduced us earlier, but it was a little bit awkward so… It’s nice to meet you.”

Sehun squinted at him. “What do you want?” he said harshly, shoulders tense.

“Oh, nothing in particular. You know the Games are meant to bring all of us closer, so I thought of making friends” Jongin explained, still smiling.

“Well, I didn’t come here to make friends, so you can save yourself the trouble” Sehun replied, scowling.

“Give it a chance at least” Jongin said, leaning towards him. Sehun was handsome up close, more handsome that Jongin could have never imagined. “I may surprise you.”

“Look, Kim Jongin” Sehun said, his eyes cold and his face unemotional. “If I were to become friends with someone, you’d be the last person on the list.”

“I’m hurt” Jongin pouted, but didn’t let it bring him down. “We could go somewhere else, alone. I don’t like people prying on us, but I’m serious when I say I want to get to know you.”

Something about what Jongin said made Sehun tense, one of his hands gripping the border of the table. “You are crazy if you think I would go anywhere alone with you” he hissed.

“It doesn’t have to be only us” Jongin rolled his eyes. “Bring your friends, I’ll bring mine. Baekhyun could be there too.”

“I don’t know what you are trying to accomplish with this, but it’s useless. I have no intention of talking to you more than necessary.”

Jongin tilted his head. Sehun seemed harsh and cold, but somewhere deep down, it was like he was afraid. Afraid of what, of Jongin? Did he think Jongin wanted to hurt him some way? It wouldn’t be completely unreasonable, considering what Jongin’s father had said in the past.

“It’s alright” Jongin said in the end, smiling. “We’ll see each other around, I hope you change your mind.”

Then, he winked and got up. His head spun a little – maybe he had drunk a little more than he should – but he managed to walk towards his friends.

“I’m spent” he said, causing Yixing to automatically stand up with him and Chanyeol to groan before doing the same. “Let’s head back to our rooms, we have a long week ahead.”

They waved Baekhyun goodbye before officially retiring for the night. Jongin sent a last look towards Sehun and to his surprise, the Moon Prince was looking at him too, so he put on his best smile. Sehun just scoffed and looked away, but at least now Jongin had his attention.

Jongin wasn’t able to sleep much that night, mind filled with silver eyes that he couldn’t stop thinking about. Sehun, Sehun, Sehun. He had felt that pull, it wasn’t just something his mind had made up. Did Sehun feel it to? He should have.

When the morning came, even if he had slept probably not over two hours, Jongin felt energized and excited. A servant informed him that breakfast would be served but it was not mandatory, and all the participants of the Games would meet in the courtyard after that.

Of course Sehun wasn’t there for breakfast, to Jongin’s disappointment, but he was one of the few already in the courtyard when they went there.

“Good morning” Jongin waved to all the participants already there.

All of them returned the greeting, even if a little half-hearted, except Sehun. The Moon Prince just stared at him, scowling, and then looked away completely ignoring Jongin.

“He is rude” Chanyeol whispered to Jongin “He didn’t even wave back”

Jongin just shrugged. “It’s alright, we are all sleepy first time in the morning.”

Chanyeol didn’t seem convinced but Jongin smiled at him until his friend rolled his eyes and put his attention in something else.

After a few minutes, with everyone already gathered, Baekbeom and Baekhyun stood in front of them, their shadows following behind. As always, Junmyeon wore a serious expression just like Baekbeom, but Jongdae and Baekhyun were both grinning.

Baekbeom explained what the pre-Games week would entail, which meant having breakfast, lunch and dinner with the rest of participants, and not just individual training but group trainings mixing participants of different nations. Jongin perked up at that, it was his chance to try and get close to Sehun.

He turned to search for that man, but his facial expression was just like before. It was like he had absolutely no emotions to show, or maybe he was very good at hiding them. Jongin vowed for the latter.

The plan didn’t go as Jongin expected, though. Sehun disappeared during the individual trainings – which was to be expected, as they had the whole arena and training area available for this. When group trainings came he searched for Sehun, but before he could find him Jongin was dragged away.

Surprisingly, it was one of the men accompanying Sehun, Jongin recognized him. He had practically forced Jongin to join him and a couple of people more.

“Join us” he had said, hard stare piercing through Jongin’s eyes. “We could use someone like you in our group.”

The man introduced himself as Kyungsoo from the Greenhills. He wore thick black and long-sleeved clothes, just like Sehun. At his side were Joohyun of the Islands and Seulgi of the Northern Mountains. They were strong competitors so even if Jongin wanted to search for Sehun, he couldn’t say no. It would be good to check what his rivals could do before the Games.

And they were good. Jongin knew that he was going to face the best of the best in the Games, but it was still surprising, even if none of them were giving their full effort yet, obviously – that would be dumb, considering they had to compete with each other.

He didn’t get to see Sehun for the rest of the day, but when dinner time arrived he had no choice but to join the rest of them in the hall. When Sehun sat down, Jongin was the first to practically run and sit in front of him.

They were probably getting stares, but it wasn’t like Jongin cared. “Hey, prince Sehun” he said, smiling. “I searched for you today, but I wasn’t so lucky. Let’s train together tomorrow, what do you think?”

“No thanks” Sehun deadpanned, not saying anything else. Jongin gave a loud sigh.

“Well, we will have to confront each other eventually in the arena” he pointed out.

“Yes. Do you think I’m stupid enough to let you have any leverage on me before that?” Sehun shot back. Ooh, now they were getting somewhere.

“You would have leverage on me as well” Jongin said, leaning over the table so he was a little closer to Sehun. The other didn’t move an inch.

“I don’t need it” he said in the end, causing Jongin to laugh.

“Well, neither do I!” he chirped.

“What are you saying? You think you will beat me?” Sehun said, and for the first time, his face showed an emotion that wasn’t anger or pure disdain. He seemed amused, his lips curving upwards.

“I think you will give me a fair fight, but I will win in the end” Jongin said, nonchalant.

“We will see about that. I wouldn’t be too over-confident if I were you.” Sehun returned to his non-expression again, as dinner began to be served. No one else was sitting by their side, and Kyungsoo and the other man remained silent, letting Sehun and Jongin do the talking.

Jongin stayed silent for a second before bursting into a laugh. “I like you” he decided. Confusion showed in Sehun’s face for a second before he returned to his stoic expression.

“Well, I don’t like you, so please stop bothering me” he said, making Jongin laugh again.

“I’m afraid I’m persistent. I want to be your friend, so there’s no way I’m leaving you alone now” he grinned.

Sehun looked affronted but he just shrugged. “Alright, suit yourself. If this is a strange tactic of yours, it won’t work.”

“Are you this untrusty with everyone, or is a special treatment I’m receiving for who I am?” Jongin asked, curious.

“Don’t flatter yourself too much, Sun Prince, you are not special” he said, eyes harsh and cold.

“Oh, but I am.” Jongin raised an eyebrow. “And so are you. Everyone is expecting us to fight, and so we will, in the arena at least. I don’t want us to fight outside the Games.”

Sehun scoffed at that. “Well, you are probably the only one who thinks like that.”

“Doesn’t make what I said less true” Jongin replied. “Think about it. I still intend to kick your ass in the Games, don’t get me wrong, but when I said I like you, I meant it.”

“I’m still not training with you” Sehun said after a few beats of silence. “If this is what you are trying to get.”

“Of course not” Jongin agreed, raising his hands. “But that’s not what I’m after.”

The dinner was practically untouched but Jongin could practically feel Chanyeol’s stare on his back, his friend probably feeling angsty, seeing the two princes interact, so he stood up with a sigh, taking his plate with him.

“It’s been nice talking to you, prince Sehun. Let’s see each other around.”

Sehun didn’t answer, just nodded in his direction, but Jongin felt triumphant. Even if the other was still wary, at least he knew that Jongin didn’t hate him now, it was a big step for him.

When Jongin went to bed that night, he kept replaying his conversation with Sehun in his head, especially the moment when the other had looked like he was almost going to smile. The man was handsome, that was something Jongin had to admit, and he was attractive, with his mysterious and cool persona. But Jongin found himself wanting to see him smile, really smile.

Not only he wanted to see Sehun smile, he wanted to cause that smile. And then, Jongin wanted to kiss him. He brought a hand to his lips, thinking how kissing Sehun would feel. Even if the man tried to look all tough, his skin looked soft, and so did his lips.

Jongin hadn’t lied when he said that he wanted to be his friend, and that would probably be hard enough. But he could dream, fantasize about it, right? About kissing him, holding him… Kim Jongin was fucked.

It was probably just a small infatuation, but it didn’t get any better throughout the rest of the week. He didn’t see Sehun at all during trainings. He wondered where Sehun went, but never tried to search for him.

He met new people instead: Minseok, the personal guard of Sehun, who was participating in the Games as well. Yifan, Zitao and Luhan from the Peak were also participating, along with Junmyeon – Baekbeom’s Shadow, fighting in his behalf – and Jongdeok, the royal guard of the Islands; and Sooyoung and Yerim of the Mountains and Seungwan of the Peak.

Like that, it became a routine, training with everyone during the day, and accompanying Sehun during dinner at night. It was not only him now, Chanyeol and Yixing joined them; Zitao of the Peak seemed to be friends with Sehun and even Baekhyun – the traitor – got along with Sehun pretty well.

Jongin couldn’t complain, because Sehun seemed to be less tense with him if there were more people around him. He didn’t really talk to Jongin unless Jongin addressed him first, but at least his answers were now friendlier. Jongin felt like making progress.

The last day of training arrived, and that meant that the novelty and royalty of every nation arrived to the castle, getting ready for the Games. The last dinner before the Games started was held in the courtyard of the castle, as the hall was too small to fit everyone.

Jongin couldn’t help it and searched in the crowd for Sehun. The King and Queen of the Greenhills had gone to see his son’s participation, of course, as had Jongin’s parents.

“So, you’ve met the impostor?” his father asked, when he followed Jongin’s line of vision. “Are you ready to crash him?”

“I’ve met Sehun, yes” Jongin replied. His father knew that Jongin didn’t like when he called the Moon Prince ‘the impostor’ but it wasn’t like the King of the Valley cared about that. “I think he will fight well.”

“But you’ll fight better” his father replied, convinced.

“I’m not sure” Jongin whistled. “I haven’t seen him fight, but I’m under the impression that he has come well trained.”

His father looked at him for a second and then grabbed his arm with maybe too much strength, to the point of hurting Jongin. “Listen, son. You are not here to make friends, or to meet this impostor they call Moon Prince. You are here to prove who is the first and true chosen one of this era. Don’t forget this.”

Jongin freed himself from his father’s grip and scoffed. “Of course, father” he answered between gritted teeth. There was no point in arguing with him about that.

The King seemed satisfied with Jongin’s answer because he didn’t keep pestering him about it, which Jongin appreciated.

He didn’t see Sehun. After dinner there was a toast, and when Jongin tried to look for him, he had disappeared – along with his parents and the rest of the Greenhills representatives.

When he was returning to his room, Baekhyun appeared out of nowhere, whispering. “Hey, lover boy, if you want to say something to Sehun before the Games, now is the time. He came to my room to clear his head, and is leaving now.”

Jongin whined something along the lines of ‘I’m not a lover boy’ because he wasn’t! Perhaps he liked Sehun a little, yeah, but he wanted to befriend him foremost. but Baekhyun just pushed him in the direction of his room, and Jongin didn’t lose any more time.

He was gasping for air, but he caught Sehun before the other returned to his own room.

“Prince Jogin?” Sehun asked, unimpressed. Jongin was probably looking all sweaty and he was panting. “What’s the matter?”

“I just wanted to-“ he stopped to gasp for more air “-to wish you luck tomorrow.”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “Don’t wish me luck, I don’t need it to kick your ass” he said, but it was not like the first conversations they had. Jongin didn’t know what had changed, but this Sehun didn’t sound as angry, he sounded almost playful.

“Oh, Gods, alright, I’ll keep my luck then” Jongin laughed. Then, he extended a hand. “Let the best of us win the Games.”

Sehun looked at his hand, and firmly took it. “So be it.”

Jongin felt his birthmark burn under his clothes. Was Sehun feeling the same? But he didn’t say anything about that, and Sehun just turned and left, leaving Jongin grinning like a madman. He would prove himself to everyone, to his nation, to the world and specially to Sehun. He was going to win these Games.

**II. The Moon Prince**

It was not that Sehun hated Jongin. No, it was not that at all. He had no feelings about Jongin whatsoever, not of hatred or of any kind. Alright, maybe Sehun didn’t like Jongin, but it wasn’t like he knew Jongin before that.

His father had been torn between wanting ― almost needing that Sehun participated in the Games to prove his worth, and not wanting Sehun to go. It was dangerous, they had enemies that could want to hurt Sehun. In the end, they decided to trust the Islands, one of the few real friends the Greenhills had, and Sehun was allowed to attend the Games.

Of course, his personal guard Minseok and the captain of the Royal Guard, Kyungsoo, had accompanied him. They would be participating in the Games as well, but the truth was that they had only gone to ensure Sehun’s safety.

When Sehun was born, people had not been happy. It was only a few months after the Sun Prince had been born, which had been celebrated all over the world, as the chosen ones were meant to bring peace and stability to the world. Never had the two chosen Princes been from the same generation, as it was already weird that they even existed at the same time, even if that had happened sometimes.

So people accused Sehun’s father of witchcraft, of tricking the Moon Goddess into blessing his son when it was not about time. People called Sehun an impostor and some of them threatened to take his life. The Greenhills closed their doors to almost every other kingdom, except the Islands and the Peak.

Sehun grew up lonely. People were afraid, even in his own kingdom, that the rumours were true. That he was just an impostor, not worthy of the blessing that he carried. But whatever they would say, Sehun still had his birthmark, a black moon in his wrist, visible over his pale skin.

It had become a source of comfort, his mark. Whenever he felt anxious or like he couldn’t do it anymore, Sehun touched his mark, caressed it, sometimes brought his wrist to his lips, and it was calming. He felt like the Goddess was by his side. Like she was saying “I chose you for a reason, it wasn’t a mistake.”

So, even if people liked to say so – even if not to his face – Sehun didn’t think he was a mistake. Not anymore, at least. He had spent his fair number of nights crying but those times were way behind him. That doesn’t mean he didn’t care about what people think or say. He shouldn’t care, but he did. That’s why he had to prove himself in the Games. It is not about winning, it’s about winning over the Sun Prince.

The Sun Prince, who was nothing like Sehun expected. He had met his father once, and it was not a pretty sight. Sehun was still a kid and the man had threatened him in front of everyone. Needless to say, the relations between the Valley and the Greenhills had been completely broken after that.

He expected the Sun Prince to be arrogant, to spit in his face, to be mean and unpleasant. It hadn’t occurred to him that Jongin would be… like that. Because Jongin had been nice, had smiled at him and had tried to befriend him. Sehun didn’t want to believe him, wanted to think that it was a ruse to mock him, but Jongin seemed honest. He was either telling the truth or a really good actor.

Sehun wanted to believe that Jongin had been trying to trick him, and Minseok and Kyungsoo didn’t trust the boy either, but there was something… When he had seen Jongin that first time, entering the dining hall the first night, he had felt something. Like a calling, like a pull, his stomach had turned and his throat had gone dry. He didn’t need anyone to introduce him to the Sun Prince, because Sehun had known immediately who he was.

Trying to ignore that feeling, he had sat down, but Jongin had been persistent since the beginning, and the moment their hands had touched, his mark burnt. Not in an unpleasant way, it was almost tickling. And Jongin’s mark, the twin mark he wore in his own wrist, had glowed. No one else seemed to notice but Sehun was sure of what he had seen.

After that, he had tried to avoid Jongin, really. Not only because the man had too much energy for his taste, but because he didn’t want to fight him before the Games. No, he was keeping that to himself.

Still… Jongin wasn’t like Sehun had expected. Instead, he had an easy smile, a beautiful bright smile that made his eyes shine, and he seemed to get along with everyone. It was Baekhyun who convinced him that Jongin didn’t mean any harm, and Sehun trusted Baekhyun. He was one of his only friends and Sehun knew he would never lie to him.

He tried not to think about the night before the Games, about his father reminding him that he had to win, to be the best and prove the world his worth as the Moon chosen. And Jongin… No. He couldn’t fall for that smile. They had touched again, and his mark had burned. He was sure Jongin had felt the same, but neither of them said anything. It was not the time.

He was now in his Game’s clothes, getting ready for the first event. The arena had basically a big fight ring in which all the participants would try to get the others out of. It was just a test, to let the public see and start to pick favourites, and there were five winners. The last five people to remain inside the circle would get the first point.

The Games would carry on for several days, the participants competing in different events, races, fights, to prove themselves the best. You win, you get one point. And of course, the one who got the most points at the end of the Games would be declared winner of this edition.

He knew he couldn’t give away too much in this. There were more fighting events in the nearing future, and Sehun wanted to try and not let his opponents see what he was capable of before it was necessary. But he had to be in the top five. He couldn’t let himself slip.

All the participants were at the edge of circle, getting ready to enter when the bell rang. Sehun looked up for a second and his eyes went directly to Jongin. The other prince was looking at him as well, and he grinned and waved. Without even realizing, Sehun smiled for only an instant and waved back. Jongin beamed and mouthed to him ‘Good luck’.

Sehun rolled his eyes and the countdown started. He got ready, as did everyone else, and when the bell rang, he ran to the centre of the ring. They were not allowed to have weapons, and it was not necessary to be the one who got the rest of the participants out, just staying in the ring was enough, and that was Sehun’s plan.

Of course, people came for him, and he fought well – he was well trained after all, but he didn’t instigate any fight. It was not long until almost half of the participants were out of the ring, which made things more difficult. Someone jumped on him, and Sehun barely dodged the attack. It was Junmyeon, determined to take him out.

Sehun avoided being hit again, and lunged forwards, trying to make Junmyeon hit the ground, but the man was strong. They wrestled for a few moments, until Junmyeon put his leg between Sehun’s and destabilized him, throwing him off balance. Sehun ended on the ground, but before Junmyeon could take him by the shirt to pull him up, someone tackled him from the side. Sehun was saved and Junmyeon and his attacker ended out of the ring instead.

Sehun took a deep breath and stood up. There were a couple of people fighting close to the edge in front of him, so he licked his lips and ran towards them. He made them lose their balance and successfully got them out of the ring.

He turned then and, right in front of him, there he was, prince Jongin. The prince smiled as both of them circled each other, getting ready to lunge.

“I wasn’t expecting to fight you so soon” Jongin said, but there was some kind of annoyingly innocent happiness in his voice.

“That just means I’m going to beat you up sooner than I thought” Sehun shot back, but he realized there was no real venom in his voice. He wanted to win, yes, but all the feelings of wanting to really beat Jongin up that he had before had disappeared.

Before they could actually fight, the bell rang, loud enough to hurt their ears. When Sehun looked around, he realized only three more people besides them were standing in the circle.

“Next time” Jongin smiled.

Jongdae waved at them, grinning. He was one of the few remaining along with two women that, if Sehun remembered correctly, were called Joohyun and Seulgi.

Like that, they were rewarded with the first points of the Games, which was an important deal. Sehun could feel the eyes of the people on him, on Jongin. He wondered what they thought when they saw them about to fight. Did they want a fair fight? Or was everyone expecting Jongin to win? Would they be disappointed if Sehun won? When he won, because he was going to win for sure.

People scattered, as the real competitions were about to start. The Games worked in a funny way, as everyone would participate in everything. There were events – like archery, different types of races, jumping and more – in which the participants were tested in small groups, and only after the last one received their points the winner would be known. Others worked by a process of elimination – like sword fighting, wrestling, or all kinds of martial arts.

That meant that Sehun wouldn’t have to actively fight Jongin in most of them. They could happen to meet in some of the events, of course, but it wouldn’t be the same as when they encountered themselves in the fighting competitions.

Sehun was sure that he would win either way but he wanted to face Jongin. He had pictured it a lot before coming to the Islands. How winning would be, how angry the Sun Prince was going to be. But now he could only picture Jongin smiling and saying ‘Good job!’ or something like that.

The first competitions were easy. Sehun jumped as high and as far as he could, and showed off his archery skills. He had to win that one for sure, he was good at it.

When the time came for the first results to be announced, Sehun found himself next to Jongin. The other looked like an overexcited puppy, still sweating from the race from where he came.

“How did it go?” Jongin asked, smiling, sincerity in his eyes.

Sehun shrugged. “Good enough.”

That made Jongin laugh, but he didn’t say anything as the first results came in. The winner of the first event was announced, and Sehun closed his eyes. His name was called.

“Prince Sehun of the Greenhills receives one point!”

The public cheered. Were they really cheering for him? Sehun noticed a hand on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, Jongin was smiling. “Congratulations!”

Jongin had nothing to worry, as he was called as the second winner. He bumped a fist on the air, looking at Sehun, expectant. What did he want?

“Uhm” Sehun mumbled, but Jongin was still waiting, a big smile on his face as the public around them went crazy. “Good job.”

The Sun Prince beamed at that, and Sehun snorted. He had a nice smile, too nice even. Sehun felt a little flustered suddenly so he looked away. He could hear Jongin’s laugh at his side, but he just tried to ignore him.

It went on like that, and most of the points went to either Sehun or Jongin. At the end of the point-giving speech, Sehun was one point ahead of Jongin. He smirked.

“I will surpass you in no time” Jongin said with a playful voice, after they were dismissed until the next day.

“Let’s see about that” Sehun shot back, finding himself returning Jongin’s smile. “I won’t make it easy for you.”

He dreamed of Jongin that night. He dreamed of the boy, glowing under the sun, with his eyes closed and his arms extended. When Sehun woke up, his birthmark was glowing, burning in his skin, and he was sweating. It wasn’t morning yet, but Sehun doubted he would be able to sleep. He didn’t sleep much anyway.

The castle had a big garden, just like his own castle back home, and Sehun liked to go there in the middle of the night. He usually had trouble sleeping, feeling more active at night, probably due to the effects of the moon.

So he went to the garden, walked a little, and then sat down. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous. Yes, the first day had gone okay – more than okay, he was on the lead. But what if that changed? He needed to do his best, he couldn’t afford to lose.

Again, just like when he woke up, his mark started to burn. He rolled up his sleeve, letting his mark go free. He usually wore long-sleeved shirts, not only because it was really cold at the Greenhills, but because he didn’t want to show off the little moon embedded in his wrist. It made people uncomfortable, so he tried to hide it.

This time, as he was alone, he observed it. It was still glowing, which was weird, because it never did that. He remembered the mark glowing, and burning and hurting, yes. But it only happened once in a while, and he never knew the reason. Now… It had been glowing a lot these past days.

It was obvious that Jongin had something to do with it, as their marks glowed every time they touched. But, was it a good or a bad thing?

Before he could dwell more in his thoughts, a noise alerted him that someone else was there. Sehun chuckled, he didn’t have to look up to know who he was.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Sehun asked, as Jongin sat next to him.

Jongin nodded. “Yeah, which is weird. I don’t recall having problems to sleep like… ever” he laughed.

Sehun’s eyes went to Jongin’s hand, rubbing his wrist with the mark. Sehun’s own mark wasn’t glowing nor burning anymore, but he could guess that Jongin’s was acting as weird as his.

“And you?” Jongin asked. “Were you having trouble to sleep?”

Sehun just shock his head. “It’s not that I can’t sleep. I just don’t need as much, so when I’ve had enough, my body just refuses to sleep more.”

Jongin groaned, pulling his knees closer to his body and burying his face on them. “God, I wish I were like that. I could sleep for days if they let me.”

Sehun laughed softly. He felt at ease in that moment, which was really rare in him, as Sehun was always tense and on alert with everyone. He should be that way with Jongin the most, but being with him was actually… It was comfortable. He felt at home.

“So you are saying you are just lazy” Sehun teased him, making Jongin pout.

“I’m not! I just like to sleep. As soon as I’m under the sun I feel revitalized, yes, but getting out of bed… That’s a nightmare.”

After that, they talked a little. Nothing too deep, they just talked about the night, about the garden. Jongin pointed out a branch in a tree, and moved closer to Sehun for that. They were really close, almost touching, and Sehun wanted to take his hand. He felt that pull again, that something telling him to touch Jongin.

Silence fell over them, and when Sehun looked at Jongin’s face, the other was looking at him as well. Was he thinking the same? Before neither of them could do anything, Sehun abruptly stood up.

“You should rest” he said. “We have another tiring day in front of us and if you really need to sleep that much, you should go back to sleep.”

Jongin seemed almost disappointed for a moment, but he nodded after a beat, smiling. “Yes, you are right. I should go back to my rooms” he agreed, standing up as well. “I’ll see you tomorrow, be prepared!” he shouted before leaving.

Sehun rolled his eyes, finding Jongin’s attitude endearing, and decided to go back to his rooms as well. If Minseok or Kyungsoo found it he wasn’t there with the castle full of strangers – including a man that had threatened Sehun’s life several times – they would go crazy, so better not give them the chance.

Next day went by, same but different. Sehun did his best in the Games – still surprised when the public cheered for him. Didn’t they know who he was, the so called impostor? Or they knew but didn’t care?

Either way, he fought his way to the best spots. Again, when the time came for points giving, the majority of them went to himself and Jongin. But this time, it ended with Jongin in the lead. Jongin was far from him, but they still managed to find each other’s eyes and the Sun Prince grinned at him, mouthing “I won”.

In other circumstances, Sehun would have been offended, but… He knew Jongin enough already to know he wasn’t mocking him, he was genuinely happy of winning, for himself, not because he was beating Sehun.

That night, his mark glowed again.

It was only at the fourth day of the competition that Sehun got to really fight Jongin. They both got to the final fencing match, and Sehun was sure that the tension in the arena could be cut with a knife. But they were calm. Jongin smiled at him before getting into position and Sehun returned the smile for a moment, before becoming serious again.

The match started and oh, it was a good one. Jongin gave him a good fight, and Sehun had to admit that he was good, better than he expected. But Sehun was even better. He had beaten Jongdae and Junmyeon along the way to reach the final, and everyone knew that the Islands fencers were the best of the best.

It came as little surprise when Sehun won, even if by a close call. Jongin just laughed, as he always did. “I’ll beat you next time” he promised.

And he kept his promise. The next match in which they fought was wrestling, and Jongin proved himself to be better. Both of them wore long sleeved shirts and the mark burned and glowed, but no one noticed. Jongin surpassed Sehun and got to the final, easily winning it as well. And Sehun didn’t feel bad, he felt like Jongin actually deserved it. Minseok and Kyungsoo were weirded out, seeing Sehun so relaxed after losing against the Sun Prince.

Sehun just shrugged. He wasn’t worried about it. Yes, he still wanted to win, but he was actually enjoying the Games. It was no longer a question of only proving his worth to the world, but now he was trying to prove himself to Jongin. He was trying to impress him, and Sehun could tell that Jongin was the same.

That night, Baekhyun looked for him at his room. Sehun was just freshly out of the shower and he found Baekhyun sitting on his bed, Jongdae standing by his side.

“So” Baekhyun started, an eyebrow raised.

“So?” Sehun shot back, already knowing what the conversation would be about.

“I thought you hated Jongin” his friend said, grinning.

“First of all, I never hated him.” Sehun wanted to make it clear. “And he is nicer than I expected. You should know, he is your friend as well.”

Baekhyun laughed loudly, hitting Jongdae’s arm. “He is. But what will your father say?” he asked, sounding worried.

“My father only worries about me proving that I’m worthy of the Moon blessing” Sehun said. “As long as I do that, I see no problem with becoming… friends with him.”

“Yeah, friends” Baekhyun hummed as Jongdae snorted.

Sehun squinted towards them. “What.”

“Nothing, nothing” Baekhyun said, raising his arms. “Just saying, he doesn’t look at you like someone who wants to be friends.”

“What are you trying to imply?” Sehun said, pouting.

“Please” Jongdae said, rolling his eyes, with an amused smile. “The boy wants to be your friend and more.”

“We’ve said enough” Baekhyun said, jumping off the bed. “Just… Jongin is a good guy. Don’t break his heart.”

Sehun furrowed his brows, confused. “What do you mean?”

Baekhyun just sighed and patted his shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Sehun.”

And they were gone, leaving Sehun more confused than ever. But he couldn’t afford to overthink those things now, he had to rest well and be more focused the next day. He was a couple of points over Jongin in the Games, but if he let his guard down, Jongin could easily surpass him.

So he tried to ignore Jongin as much as he could in the events to come. When their paths crossed, Jongin waved at him and smiled, but fortunately they didn’t have time to actually talk, which was for the best.

Like that, the last day of the Games came. The day before Sehun had been on the lead, but when the announcement of the last points came, Jongin quickly rose up to him. Sehun felt his heart beat so hard against his ribcage that he thought it was going to explode.

Jongin was winning over Sehun for one point and there was only the 800 yards’ race results left to announce. He knew he had done well in the race, but was it good enough to win?

There was a moment of tension, until he heard “Sehun wins the race!” The cheering was stronger than ever before in the Games, and Sehun took a moment to compose himself before opening his eyes.

They were tied. There were no competitions left and they were tied. Which meant…

“Prepare yourselves! The match between Prince Jongin and Prince Sehun for the title of winner of the Games will begin shortly!”

Sehun blinked twice. He was going to fight Jongin, but this time it was final. If he had got only one more point… But no, it hadn’t happened.

He looked for Jongin, suddenly feeling the need to talk to him, but he was brought to one side of the Arena, while Sehun was being carried to the other.

“It’s your chance” Kyungsoo said, by his side. “You have to win this, Sehun.”

“I know” Sehun mumbled. He didn’t like his current situation. If he lost… He didn’t care about his own reputation any more, and losing the Games would have been bearable. But this, this was a one on one against Jongin, to prove once for all who was better. If Sehun didn’t win…

“You are thinking too hard” Minseok said. “Relax. You are good, you can win this.”

Sehun nodded. He could do it. Of course, it was going to be a classic sword fight - blood drawn necessary to win - as expected, so he walked towards the centre of the Arena. There, Jongin and him stood and they were given a couple of matching swords.

“So, here we are” Jongin said. He was smiling but there was something… off.

Sehun nodded. “It looks like it” he said, avoiding his eyes.

Jongin looked like he wanted to add something else, but he didn’t say anything. They just got into position and waited for the bell to signal the start of the fight.

It wasn’t easy, in the way that they were both tired after all day long, and they were both good. The fights against Jongin had been the harder of the Games, and it wasn’t for nothing. But something was not right. Was Jongin injured?

Every second that passed, Jongin seemed to retreat more into a defensive strategy rather than a direct attack, and that was weird, because all the times Sehun had fought with him, Jongin had been the one to attack. It was his fight style.

But not this time, it was like something was holding him from giving his best. Maybe a wound, or maybe…

Sehun disarmed him as Jongin fell to the floor. He raised his hands when Sehun pointed his own arm towards him. Sehun had to draw blood to win and suddenly Jongin looked impatient.

“Come on, do it” Jongin said. “You’ve won.”

“Have I?” Sehun asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you will if you hurry. If you don’t draw blood soon I may as well try to put up a fight” he said, grinning.

“I don’t think you would” Sehun hummed, lowering his sword. “Seeing that you weren’t even trying to win. Just giving them a show, right? So that the people thought you gave me a fair fight.”

“Uh, I don’t know what you mean” Jongin mumbled, but his cheeks were red, his ears as well.

Sehun threw his sword to the side. “You won’t win, but I won’t either. Not like this.”

“Then I guess it’s a tie” Jongin laughed. “Again.”

Sehun stayed serious for a second but then started laughing as well, and let himself fall to the ground. The mediator came closer to them, a confused look on his face.

“We’ve decided to keep this match a tie” Sehun explained, smiling.

“But you were… You were about to win” the confused man said, not understanding what was happening.

“Well, I decided I didn’t want to. And he didn’t want to win either, so it’s a tie.”

The man just slowly nodded and ran off, probably to talk to his higher ups. A couple of men lead by Baekbeom approached them.

“We need a winner” Baekbeom observed, with his arms crossed. “What should we do, then?”

“Who says we can’t share the title? Winners of the Games” Jongin replied. “Do you agree, Sehun? Would you share the title with me?”

Sehun bit his lip. It was more than just the title of the Games. Jongin was making a clear statement with that. Sharing a title, not only of winners, but of chosen ones.

“Of course” Sehun answered, realising they were waiting for him. “It would be an honour.”

Jongin giggled, as the men helped them stand up. “Then it is settled” he said, still smiling.

Baekbeom sighed as Jongin and Sehun went back with the rest of participants. There was an odd silence, like everyone wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but none of them dared to.

“You are all going to be witness of something that has never happened before” Baekbeom announced, his voice reverbering through the whole Arena. The public was completely silent. “There is no winner this year.”

Instantly the public went wild, how could that be? No winner? Impossible! Baekbeom raised a hand, putting a finger on hi slips. “Instead, this year we have two winners!”

The change was radical, people protesting a second ago were now cheering, screaming, whistling. Sehun wasn’t expecting that, he was expecting critiques and people complaining, but the public seemed actually happy with the decision.

Jongin came forward, smiling, raising his hands towards the public. “Prince Sehun and I came here representing our nations, but we all know that was not the only thing we were representing.” The people got quiet, hearing Jongin talk. “We came here as the Sun Prince and the Moon Prince. All our life, we’ve been taught that we were rivals. That there couldn’t be two of us at the same time. That one of us was an impostor.”

Jongin turned to Sehun, and extended his hand for Sehun to grab, so Sehun stepped forward and did just that. The moment their hands touched, the marks begin to glow. “We were chosen for a reason” Jongin said, raising their joint hands. “We were born for a reason. We don’t know what kind of problems the world will have in the future, but if the God and the Goddess decided the two of us would be needed, then we will join forces. Act together as allies, not as rivals.”

There was a second of silence before the public began to cheer again. Sehun blinked twice, noticing the tears in his eyes.

“We are both worthy” he said, loud enough. “We were both chosen, and we will make our protectors proud.”

As the public went even wilder, the rest of the participants patted both Sehun and Jongin’s back, congratulating them. Jongdae was grinning like a mad man and Sehun wanted to hit him hard, but he controlled himself.

“See you tonight?” Jongin said, once they were back at the castle and everyone went to their rooms to take a bath, rest, and change into something nicer. That night was the party, the dance that signalled the ending of the Games.

“Of course, it’s not like we are allowed to miss it” Sehun snorted. They had to be there; as winners of the Games, there was no choice.

Jongin laughed as if Sehun had said the funniest thing in the world. “Alright” he said, still laughing, before they both went to their rooms.

Minseok and Kyungsoo were speechless, and they were already dressed up and ready by the time Sehun left the bathroom.

“You had him” Minseok said, shocking his head. “You already had him. Why did you do that?”

“He was letting me win” Sehun deadpanned.

“Was he really?” Kyungsoo looked almost impressed.

“Yeah. I think he knew what this meant for me, more than him. I decided that I didn’t want to win like that. I think in the end the tie was the best possible outcome.”

“It was. Jongin’s words were really meaningful. I don’t want to imagine how angry his father must be” Minseok whistled.

Sehun shrugged. “His son is by far a better person than he is. He will be a good King in the future.”

“And so will you” Minseok added, as Kyungsoo nodded.

Sehun just smiled. He was already dressed up, had been preparing as they talked, and they were ready to go downstairs. There, dinner was served, and Sehun finally got to talk with his parents.

“That Sun Prince” his father was musing. “I like him. He is a good boy.”

Sehun nodded at his words. “He is, father. He was very adamant to become my friend since the moment we met.”

“It would be good, if you were friends. I think he was right; if you were chosen at the same time, it’s for a reason. It’s better for everyone to have you collaborating instead of fighting” his mother added. She hadn’t stopped smiling all night, proud of her son.

“I wish his father thought the same way” Sehun’s father sighed. “It would’ve been much better since the beginning.”

“He’ll come around” Sehun suddenly said. “He probably loves his son as much as you love me. He was trying to protect him. If Jongin really believes this, his father will come around.”

His parents looked at him, and she mother grinned. “Jongin? Not prince Jongin or Sun Prince?”

Sehun’s cheeks went red, as he blabbered some excuse, but his parents were just messing with him, enjoying the reactions of his son.

After dinner was done, the tables were retired and space was made for the ball to begin. Sehun was ushered to Jongin’s side, and Goddess, he looked handsome. Sehun himself had dressed nicely for the occasion, black pants and a black sleeveless shirt – he wasn’t wearing sleeves, and that was a first in his life. Jongin, however, was wearing all white. His white dress shirt was almost see-through, reminding Sehun of the one he was wearing the first time they met, but it was much fancier and contrasted beautifully with his golden skin.

Baekhyun along with Baekbeom and their Shadows approached them. “It’s custom that the winner of the Games dances the first song” Baekbeom said. “But given that there’s two winners this time… I think it would be okay if there’s two couples.”

Suddenly, Sehun’s mark began to burn. He looked at Jongin, to see if the other was feeling it too, but was surprised to see that Jongin had gone red, from the neck to his ears.

“Well” the Sun Prince said. It was the first time that Sehun saw him as flustered. “I was actually thinking, that we could open the first dance together.”

Sehun opened his mouth, surprised, finding himself really eager to do just that. “I would like that” he said, and Jongin finally looked at him.

“Really? Oh thank Gods” he laughed. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to”

Sehun rolled his eyes as Baekbeom muttered a ‘perfect’ as Baekhyun and Jongdae snickered, and then the music started.

Jongin offered his hand to Sehun, who took it, and they advanced to the centre of the room. Sehun knew everyone there was observing them, probably wondering how the two princes had ended up like that, but he was focusing on Jongin.

“I’m glad I can dance with you” Jongin muttered, so only Sehun could hear him. “I would have asked you anyway, if I’d won, you know.”

“Really?” Sehun raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think I would have said yes?”

“Well, you did just now” Jongin pointed out, pouting and Sehun laughed. He wanted to kiss that pout of his lips. Wait, kiss?

“You are right” he mumbled, suddenly feeling very self-aware. He wanted to kiss Jongin.

They danced, until the first song was over, and then more couples joined them. When the room was full enough that no one was paying to them, Jongin grabbed Sehun’s wrist and pulled him apart. Sehun could feel the stares of Minseok and Kyungsoo in his back, and he could hear Chanyeol - Jongin’s annoying friend - shouting something that got lost with the music and people chattering.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asked, once they were in one side of the room. “You seem pale.”

“It’s okay” Sehun said, looking at Jongin’s lips. Now that he had realized that he wanted to kiss Jongin, Sehun couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Jongin licked his lips, and when Sehun’s breath hitched, he smirked. “My eyes are up here” he joked.

Sehun hit him. “I’m leaving” he whined. He better leave, before he did something he was going to regret later.

“Wait” Jongin said, laughing. “Don’t be angry, you are so cute.”

“I’m not cute” Sehun pouted.

“Yes you are, you are so cute.” Jongin flickered his forehead. “I really really want to kiss you right now, prince Sehun.”

Sehun kept the pout. “Then do it” he replied.

Without wasting a second, Jongin grabbed his shirt to pull him closer, and their lips met. It was like something had been missing inside of Sehun and now, at last, he had found it. It was an indescribable sensation, like fireworks inside him, like burning from inside, but in a good way.

“I didn’t know I could miss someone I had never met” Sehun gasped when they pulled apart. “But now I know I’ve been missing you all my life.”

“Glad to know I’m not the only one who feels like that” Jongin chuckled, and kissed him again.

Winning the Games had been a minor thing compared to how they felt, having found their other half. Maybe the Sun God and the Moon Goddess knew what they were doing, in the end.

Sehun was sure of one thing. If it was his job to ensure the equilibrium of the world, to keep the peace and stop wars, he was glad Jongin was going to be by his side sharing this load, because what had felt like a burden before, now felt like a shared future. Their future.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/sehunagenda) !!!


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